Standoff ends in forced entry

A seven-hour standoff ended on Saturday when the Surry County Sheriff’s Office Special Engagement Team forced their way into a barricaded room in a Mount Airy home to serve a warrant and arrest an occupant inside.

According to a press release from the sheriff’s office, deputies arrived at 108 Knob Drive at about 11:30 a.m. on Saturday with plans to serve a warrant on Michael Shane Blaylock, 37, after Blaylock failed to appear to be incarcerated.

Sheriff’s office officials noted Blaylock was served with a warrant to serve a 30-day sentence for contempt of court and another warrant for his failure to start an active sentence connected to an arrest for possession of methamphetamine.

After authorities arrived at the Mount Airy residence, Blaylock allegedly refused to surrender and barricaded himself in the home, according to the account of the standoff. Negotiators from the sheriff’s office arrived on the scene, but negotiations eventually came to an impasse.

Sheriff Jimmy Combs explained that deputies had entered the home, with the homeowner’s consent, when they arrived on the scene. However, when they made their way to a room inside the house, they found it barricaded. Blaylock also verbally threatened officers, leading them to believe he might be armed.

“He was contained in the residence,” said Combs. “We backed out to keep the situation from escalating.”

Negotiators under the direction of Capt. Lloyd Terry spoke with Blaylock for about four hours, according to Combs. Combs stationed himself with the special engagement team, readying those deputies for a tactical entry. Splitting the leadership team on site allowed the two senior leaders on the ground to see all perspectives and possible ends to the conflict, the sheriff said.

“Negotiations were going really well,” recounted Combs. “We thought we could resolve it peacefully, but for some reason they just stopped.”

The negotiations team tried without luck for nearly two more hours to re-establish contact with Blaylock, added Combs.

“We began to wonder if something had happened to him,” said Combs. “We had a dual concern — his well-being and the warrants. We decided it was prudent to make entry.”

About seven hours after deputies had arrived on scene to serve the warrants, officials ended the standoff. At about 6:30 p.m., the sheriff’s office special engagement team entered the residence and took Blaylock into custody.

Combs said a tactical entry resulted in no injuries to deputies or Blaylock. In the end, authorities found Blaylock to be unarmed.

Combs said he was more than happy with the way his deputies handled the situation. The specialized teams performed to perfection after being called to the scene.

Along with being served the two warrants, Blaylock was charged with resisting a public officer. He is serving his 30-day contempt sentence at the Surry County Detention Center, and his bond has been set at $1,000 for the resisting charge.

Blaylock was convicted of a schedule II controlled substance and larceny from a merchant on May 10, according to N.C. Department of Public Safety records.

Prior to that, the records indicate he served nearly a year and a half behind bars for the possession of methamphetamine in 2012. In 2007, he was convicted of assault on a female.

Blaylock served suspended sentences for possession of a schedule VI controlled substance (twice), manufacturing a controlled substance, failing to return rented property and possessing stolen goods between 1999 and 2002.